EPA and Recent Environmental Justice Developments: NEPA, Changing State Laws, Title VI

Ms. Fleming advises a wide variety of business, institutional and organizational clients on all aspects of environmental policy, government relations, compliance planning, incident response, subsequent enforcement and litigation matters and special investigations for private and municipal clients. She also advises clients on environment, social and governance (ESG) issues and the impacts climate change can have on business operations. Ms. Fleming spent more than 20 years in the public sector, serving as both an elected and appointed official at the state and local levels, as well as in various branches of the federal government. She served as Principal Legal Advisor (General Counsel) for Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and as Chief of Staff to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the Obama Administration. In addition, Ms. Fleming served as the EPA Region 4 (Southeastern Region) Regional Administrator (RA), where she was responsible for establishing and implementing environmental policy, including the principals of environmental justice for eight southeastern states and six federally recognized tribes. Ms. Fleming finalized the Region's Environmental Justice (EJ) Policy (previously stagnated for 10 years), instituted regular environmental justice information sessions with state partners and communities, and created a Regional EJ Interagency Working Group with other federal agencies to strategically and comprehensively address community concerns. Ms. Fleming also instituted the Colleges and Underserved Community Partnership Program (CUPP) which partnered college students with senior federal staff to provide much needed environmental, health and technical services to some of the poorest jurisdictions in their region.

Mr. Sweet’s practice is focused on environmental law, including litigation. He has experience working closely with clients to obtain optimal results and recognizes when settlement is preferable to litigation. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Sweet worked as the Deputy Attorney General at the Office of the Indiana Attorney General in the Administration and Regulatory Enforcement Litigation Section. During this time, he handled joint state and federal enforcement cases against Fortune 500 companies, coordinated closely with state and federal agencies, including elected officials, and managed a high volume of cases.

Mr. Targ has more than 25 years of experience assisting clients in the public and private sectors efficiently achieve their land use, environmental and policy goals. His practice focuses on complex redevelopment projects, environmental compliance and government advocacy. His representative work includes strategic legal advice on brownfields redevelopment, Superfund compliance, and state and federal grant and policy advocacy. Mr. Targ has successfully advocated for infill funding and policy initiatives on behalf of public, private and nonprofit coalition clients. Before joining the firm, Mr. Targ served in leadership positions with the U.S. EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assistance, including Counsel and Associate Director to the Office of Environmental Justice in Washington, D.C. He also served in the Solicitor's Office of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Mr. Targ co-founded the Howard University School of Law Environmental Law and Sustainability Program, and taught environmental law and environmental justice as an adjunct professor. Presently, he is an adjunct professor at UC Hastings School of Law teaching land use law.

Ms. Perdue focuses her practice on environmental law, advising clients on matters spanning a wide variety of media, including water quality and water rights, air quality and other natural resources issues. She brings two decades of agency experience to her practice from her time spent with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, most recently serving as its Deputy Executive Director. During her time with the agency Ms. Perdue worked on a diverse set of issues including the National Ambient Air Quality Standards/State Implementation Plan development, NSR Air Permitting, TPDES water quality permitting and RCRA hazardous waste issues.